Morning Glory
by linggan
Summary: Reno has a ridiculous idea.  Tifa is not sure why she's still going along with it.  A very silly story.
1. Chapter 1

Morning Glory

.ch.1.

Everyday, there was always that brief stretch of calm between when Denzel and Marlene left for school and when the bar opened. As a child, Tifa had been quite restless and never tired of moving, but now, that little breath of stillness she had during that stretch had become precious to her. It was the time she took to relax, read a book, go shopping, meet up with Yuffie if she was visiting and just let go of everything.

Today was no different. Tifa had already made her coffee and was planning on giving the bar a good, long overdue cleaning, when she suddenly heard the creak of the door opening . About to tell the person that the bar hadn't opened yet, she stopped when she saw who it was.

"Tifa. _You__,_ look like the type of girl who can tie a tie properly," Reno drawled out as a greeting. He held up a navy blue tie expectantly.

"Good morning to you too," Tifa said, a smile flitting across her face despite herself.

He raised his eyebrows hopefully. "So? Is that a yes on the tie?"

"And why can't you tie your own tie?"

He held up his other hand, wrapped in several bandages. "I might have…cracked a few knuckles." When she raised an eyebrow, he quickly added, "Hey, don't give me that face like I'm some violent brute or something. The guy deserved it."

"Reno, you _are_ a violent brute," Tifa replied wryly. "What kind of Turk uses a stick instead of a gun?"

Reno was silent for amoment. "Okay, you got me there," he conceded after a pause without any hint of shame. "So? Tie?"

"And since when do you wear a tie?"

"Since I decided that wearing a tie would proably freak Elena out, especially since my hand is all damaged." His eyes took a wicked gleam. "Because then she'll want to know how and before long, she'll be wondering why and it'll just bother her, day and night, that I'm suddenly acting different."

"Elena," Tifa said in disbelief.

"You wouldn't believe how much she freaks out over random things." Reno leaned, his voice low and conspiring . "Like last time when Tseng decided to switch the pairs, she got all paranoid that maybe she had done something to Tseng mad."

"Why?"

"Because she was paired with _me_." Reno grinned proudly at that. "But man, did she bitch about it all mission…"

"I see…" Tifa said slowly, having gotten more insight into the Turks hierarchy she had in this conversation she had the past three years. "And now... what is this, revenge?"

"Exactly," Reno said with glee. "You know you want to be a part of this."

She gave him one last critical look, but the curiosity had already taken hold. Giving a dramatic sigh, she held out her hand for the tie. "Come over here."

Reno's face all but glowed. "Yes ma'am."

Admittedly, as Tifa leaned in and began to go through the motions, she felt a little awkward. Not only were the motions slightly unfamiliar to her, but at this distance, she was able to feel the warmth radiating off Reno. For a moment, she wanted to giggle at the absurdity of it all, somehow feeling like a teenager again, stuttering at the slightest contact with a boy.

Reno, oddly enough, had gone quiet as she worked and only when Tifa looked up from her work did she realize that his eyes had been on her and she felt a curiosity grip her as she wondered what he was thinking, wondered if she might figure it out if she looked long enough. But his face was unreadable, his crooked grin revealing nothing.

"There," she said as she finished. Reno looked into one of the glasses to check himself out. "Enjoy tormenting Elena."

"Will do, will do," he assured, admiring his distorted reflection. "Not bad … You know. For a girl."

Tifa rolled her eyes in good humour. "Get out of here."

"Fine fine, I'm going…" He walked to the door, stopping only to turn around and glance inquisitively towards the back room. "Damn, your coffee smells good. Make me a cup tomorrow, okay?"

As she watched him swagger out, she felt her stop for a bit. Taking a few moments warp her head around around his parting words, she tried to figure out what felt off when it hit her.

_Did he say tomorrow?_

end .ch.1.

_Author's Note: Sometimes, an author just really needs to write a ridiculous piece of fluff that has no plot. Fortunately, this will short and relatively harmless. No more than five chapters. Promise._

_Tell me what you think so far?_


	2. Chapter 2

Morning Glory

.ch.2.

"You should have seen her face."

Reno, like always, gave no warning of arrival. But Tifa had been prepared anyway, the coffee fresh and warm in the pot. Today, she had made the marginal effort to look a little bit neater. But only a little.

"Yeah?" She asked interestedly. "What was it like?"

Reno sat himself down and took the initiative to pour a cup for himself. "She didn't actually say anything, but her eyes… they got all wide and suspicious and you could see that she wanted to ask. But not yet. Gotta break her a bit more before she'll do that."

"Oh, we're trying to break her now, are we?" Tifa asked in amusement.

"Precisely," Reno confirmed. He took a gulp before looking around curiously. "Hey, where are the little tots anyway?"

"They're at school."

"School…" Reno frowned a bit at the word.. "That's so… mundane. It's weird."

"Well, not everyone has quite as fulfilling a job as you do," Tifa said.

Reno puffed up in pride. "Why yes, it is quite a cool job isn't it. But you have an fulfilling job as well, Ms. Bartender." His eyes gained a suspicious gleam. " Give men what they want and get to rough them up when they misbehave…"

"You should see me with my whip," Tifa added smoothly. His eyes grew as wide as a Chocobo's, wishful and incredulous at the same time. "That was a _joke_," she added quickly.

Reno narrowed his eyes. "That was mean."

"You flirt too much."

"Tease."

"Man-whore."

Reno opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it as he realized what she just said to him. "… Did you just call me a man-whore?"

"If the shoe fits…" She trailed off.

For a moment, Tifa felt five again, playing with all her male friends. She had been the leader, the adventerous one, the one that never dained to play with the girls. Admittedly, she had been a snob, now that she thought about it, but the boys always had more fun, always had the cooler games. Then, they became teenagers, then they stopped including her in their immature jokes, always becoming quiet when she tried to join them. She had turned to Cloud then, if only to feel like she was a part of something again.

But Reno brought her back to that immature stage, fifteen, brash and always trying to beat the boys. She almost felt embarrased by her lack of restraint. Almost.

Unable to come with a dignified response, Reno instead finished his cup of coffee and dug out the tie from his pocket. "Will you do the honours?"

Moving her chair closer to him, Tifa took the tie and went through the motions, ignoring the tight feeling she felt in her chest as she did so.

"When does your hand heal?"

"What, already tired of my company?" Tifa gave him a pointed look that asked if he really wanted to set himself up for that. Reno grinned in response. "Somewhere around a week. Probably."

"Well, at least it's just your left hand," Tifa said. "You never did tell me the story of how it happened, by the way."

Reno gave a shrug. "Someone might have mistaken me for a woman."

Tifa giggled at the image. "Oh come on, that can't have been the first time that's happened to you though…"

He gave her a withering look. "Are you saying that I look like a _girl?"_

In response, she finished the tie with a final tug and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Well, at least the tie makes it marginally better." She raised her eyes to his and with only the barest hint of a smile added, "Now they'll only mistake you for a woman from the back."

.2.

_Author's note: This really is becoming such a silly story. Admittedly, I think I'm making Tifa a little bit too much like Yuffie (that girl is my one true love), but oh well! No shame!_

_Tell me what you think, thanks._


	3. Chapter 3

Morning Glory

.ch.3.

After a few days, Reno's visits had somehow become a part of Tifa's day. In her mind, she scheduled the time after Marlene and Denzel left as time to prepare the coffee and wait until his arrival. It was only when she looked in the mirror and wondered if she should wear something different she she realized she just might be attracted him.

The subsequent horror that followed that realization immediately quashed any lingering thoughts of him during the day.

But despite herself, Tifa had to admit that having sincere male attention from a decent-looking man felt… empowering. Because Reno wasn't just another sleaze trying to hit on her in the bar, he actually was holding substantial conversations with her. They didn't need to go through the awkward backstory small talk because they already knew each other somewhat. It was nice. Comfortable.

Still, a (_small_) crush was still a crush. Sort of like when Yuffie had gone through with that phase with Vincent; enjoying his attention when he talked with her, getting giddy over the conversations, but never really attempting to pursue anything further. In this case, Tifa had more reason than age difference—she had two kids to raise. More often than not, that had been the killer of the few relationships she had attempted since Meteorfall.

So when Reno came today, she made sure nothing was out of ordinary. No make-up. No special outfit. It was just Reno.

"Is my tie too skinny?" He never started conversations with a greeting, she had noticed. It was almost as if mundane greetings were below him, not cool enough.

"Yes." Tifa cocked her head curiously. "You mean it wasn't a deliberate fashion statement?"

Reno sat down, never needing an invitation, and poured his usual cup of coffee. "Elena said that my tie was so skinny, I looked like an obnoxious teenage boy trying to impress his first girlfriend." He frowned. "That doesn't even make any sense."

"If you have seen the lengths the boys go to to show off to a girl, you would," Tifa replied knowingly. "Like, have you ever those boys who wear those thick geek glasses and the really tight jeans? Apparently, it's the latest fashion."

"Oh. You mean _those_ kids." Reno scowled. "I don't look anything like that!"

Tifa didn't respond and fought the smile from spreading across her face. "Mm-hmm." But before he could protest his fashion any further, a rather curious idea formed in Tifa's mind. She got up and asked him, "Wait a moment?"

It didn't take her long to find the box in her closet, as she never kept it far in the back. When Nibelheim had burned down, it had been the only thing she had been able to save before Zangan had forced her to leave-and it turned to be just a box of her father's fanciest clothes. She had been hoping for photographs, mementoes, but she only found a suit, ties, and a watch.

Much as the clothes had become precious to her though, whenever she saw it, she also felt a heavy wave of longing and just sorrow fall on her, weighing down the day. Tifa had long thought to give the stuff away, give it to Cloud, but she wasn't sure how she would start that conversation and somehow, she just never got around to it. But now, as she rummaged through the box to find a good, dark tie, there was only a numb feeling of anticipation. Here it was, she was finally letting it go.

"Here, why don't you try this tie?" She said when she finally came back down. As she handed it over to Reno, she could his eyes grow wide as he felt the quality of the fabric.

"Whoa, this feels real fancy," he said in amazement. "Don't tell me Delivery Boy actually can _afford_ this?"

"It's not Cloud's," she explained. "It's mine."

"Yours?"

She shrugged, and gave a light smile. "What can I say, I can't resist a good tie on sale. Thought it might become useful. Here, let me help you put it on."

With surprisingly steady hands, Tifa drew Reno close and wrapped the tie around. By now, she was quick and practiced with her motions, taking near less than a minute to adjust it right. When she was done, she stepped back to admire her work.

"Yeah? I look real fly, am I right?" Reno said, popping his collar for effect. She bit back the smile.

"Well, you were, until you actually said the word 'fly'. What are you, ten?", she said. Thought she had to admit, the tie looked good on him; suddenly, she felt real good about her decision to give the tie to him. Finally, some of the clothes were being put to good use, instead of hanging over her head, an empty reminder.

"Ten? I'll have you know I'm twenty-n-" He stopped talking.

Tifa gave a wide-eyed look. "What was that, Reno?"

"Nothing."

She tried, she really tried, but this time, the smile spread across her face in full-fledged delight, all but barely to hold in some cackle of amusement. "So you really _are_ old!" Tifa leaned in closer, and looked over him appraisingly, causing him to recoil in self-consciousness. "I can see it now, those wrinkles near your eyes and forehead... And is that why you're always bringing those women to the bar? Compensating for something?"

"Hey!" Reno crossed his arms in protest. "Don't be jealous because you ain't getting as much as I am."

"Well, some call it 'having taste'," Tifa replied.

He snorted at that. "Taste? Nah, that's just a bullshit name for having standards way too high."

"By all means, then, enlighten me as what decent and reasonable standards are. You know, besides the having legs part," she responded.

That gave him pause. "Well." His scoff melted into a thoughtful expression. "It shouldn't be complicated, right? Chemistry. And shit like that. Like you know how they're some people you just front with automatically? Not even that you're doing it maliciously, but you become this overly polite, overly kind, overly sarcastic, whatever person that doesn't feel genuine. But then, with the right person-yeah. It should just happen."

Tifa sighed. "But it's not really that easy, isn't it."

"Yeah. Fuck no."

There was a brief moment of silence that passed between and Tifa took the time to push the nagging feelings of insecurity aside. His words had hit closer than she let on-but that wasn't something she really wanted to think about. It always made her cringe when she thought about those awkward moments with Cloud, when she thought she only had to be silent but supporting as he worked out his issues-but after a while, she had become so silent she never knew what to say anymore. She didn't know how to start conversations with him anymore, didn't know how to make small talk, and in the end, she only ended up being fake, light, cheery, anything but genuine. But once she started, it had been hard to stop, because she didn't know how to act normal around him anymore.

Before long, his trips started to become more frequent. Longer.

"So." Her face turned bright again as she regarded him with a innocent look. "You're really a romantic deep down, huh."

"Don't fall for me now," he warned teasingly.

"No way," Tifa said. "You're way too old for me. Twenty-nine? Your birthday is in two months, right? You might as well say thirty."

Reno left quite soon after that.

.3.

_Author's note: Nothing against hipsters, swear. I just think it's fun to make Tifa and Reno talk like old people. _

_Anyway, thanks for reading this far! One more chapter to go!_


	4. Chapter 4

Morning Glory

.ch.4.

"Oh." For once, Tifa was the one to speak first when Reno came in. "Oh my."

"Don't..." Even saying the sounds seemed to be painful to Reno. "Don't say another word."

"But... your hair..." She could only look at it in amazement. "It..."

It was flat, though that word was a loose description at best. A more accurate description would probably that it looked like Reno had dead blades of grass growing out of his hair. His crimson, usually vibrant and distinct, only served to make the look appear more bizarre.

"I had a fight with the comb," Reno said flatly. "I lost."

"That's quite... apparent," Tifa said tactfully. "Why the new look?"

He grinned and under the mop of his hair, she could almost see the resemblance. "It's Phase Two of my plan. Now, it's not just the tie, it'll be my _whole_ appearance. Hair. Clothes. Everything."

"Well, I can assure you that just the hair alone will be more than enough to freak anyone out," Tifa supplied helpfully. He gave her a baleful glare.

"Haha. Funny," he said deadpan. "But seriously, help? I mean, look at you, your hair is real nice. Surely you've got some tricks to deal with keeping hair under control?"

Tifa ignored her heart's short speed burst when he complimented her hair and gave his locks another look-over. "Well... yes. I can try... but is that..._gel_?"

"I was desperate!" Reno whined.

"Well. Go upstairs and take a shower. We need to start over."

Twenty minutes later, just as she was about to knock on the door and ask what was taking so long, she was greeted with the sight of a half-naked Reno, towel around his waist. Surprisingly, his spikes had returned; it seemed his hair was just as resilient against gravity as Cloud's was, retaining their bounce even with the water droplets clinging to his strands. She stared resolutely at his face, not daring to look down further than his chin.

"Yo. Where are my clothes?" he asked and held up a bundle. "I know these aren't mine."

"I switched them while you were showering," she answered. His face changed into a devious expression, but before he could make one of his usual lewd comments, she quickly interrupted him. "I thought you said you wanted to look nice?"

Reno conceded. "Yeah. Sure. But seriously, where are you getting all these men's clothes? You sure they ain't Strife's? Not giving off his nice clothes in some lover's spat?"

Tifa let out a chuckle at that. "You think I'd be that spiteful?"

"I know you can be vicious when you want to be," Reno said seriously. Tifa felt oddly complimented by the remark.

"Well, don't worry," Tifa answered. "These are all mine. And besides, you know that Cloud isn't my lover."

He gave her an odd look but just shrugged. "Sure. Whatever, these clothes are nice, I'm not complaining."

Minutes later, he came out wearing the clothes and for a moment, Tifa felt herself oddly breathless. Years of just looking at her father's leftover clothes and now seeing them on a real person. Only until now was she was she able to appreciate how nice and fancy they were, especially if they were making _Reno_ out of all people look classy.

"Here, and this watch," Tifa said, holding up the object.

"Thanks," Reno said and put it on, admiring it at a distance. "That was some sale you went to, huh?"

Tifa decided not to comment on it. Instead, she picked her comb, clean of all her hair, and gestured for him to come over. "Now. Let's do your hair." As he came over, though, she held out a hand. "Wait. Do you trust me?"

He gave her a suspicious look. "Why."

"Because we're going to go through some very intense hair care." His suspicious look didn't lessen. "Believe me, it will all be worth it in the end."

In the end, it had been quite the battle with Reno's hair. Tifa had to deep condition his hair and use various hair products that she only used for special occasions until the hair finally softened enough to comb through comfortably. Then, she had to go through several different styles, finally deciding that a side-part would look best. All the while, Reno had fidgeted restlessly, looking uncomfortable and obviously out of his element.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you," he said balefully.

"Of course. All girls love a make-over," Tifa said cheerfully. "Especially when they're making-over a guy."

Reno scoffed. "Still, what is this, Beauty and the Beast? Is _all_ this really necessary?"

"When I'm done with you, you'll be beautiful," Tifa promised gleefully. "Think about it; Elena not only will be perplexed beyond anything, and not only that, she'll be unable to look away from you. You'll look that great. She might even fall a little bit in love with you."

Reno seemed mollified at that, having no idea that this argument was the same one she had used on Denzel when he was a little hesitant to let Tifa fix his hair. Tifa held back her giggle; sometimes it was too easy to play to Reno's ego.

Just as she started to braid his hair, just for kicks, he suddenly asked, "So when you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

She paused. "... That's a random question to ask."

"I'm bored. It's called small talk."

She resumed her work. "Well, I guess... I'm not sure really. I don't think there was anything that I knew straight out I wanted to be, not like Cloud was."

Reno scoffed. "Liar. You're not that wishy-washy."

"Wishy-washy? Really?" She tugged his hair perhaps a bit more tightly than she should have. "Do tell what your childhood dream was."

"Duh. Get out of the slums. Rebel against society. Stick it to the _man_." He said the phrase with a particular gusto. "I even majored in _philosophy_ out of all things in college."

Tifa stopped at that statement. "You're_ kidding_."

"Nope," he said cheerfully. "My tuition was reimbursed by Shinra, and at that age, I just wanted to get the most absurd and useless degree I could. But the thing is, now I sound all pretentious when I really want to. Or romantic. Depends if I'm hitting on the person I'm talking to."

"That's ridiculous."

"I know, isn't it? Here, you can try me. Pretend we've just met at party, say something."

She said the first thing that came to her mind. "... Aren't the stars pretty tonight?"

"I suppose they are." He paused for effect. "Actually, did you know, the philosopher Plato once said, more or less, that stars are merely the moving image of eternity?"

"Really? What does that mean?"

He was silent for a moment. "Okay... honestly, I forgot." When she started to giggle, he quickly added, "but hey, I was pretty good up till that point, right? I mean, come on, how many people can pull that out at a moment's notice?"

"And you say you hit on girls with lines like that?"

"It works!"

"Mm-hmm." She took his braid apart, and decided to fish-tail it. "You know, I remember what I wanted to be, now."

"Yeah? What?"

"Well, this was more of before I joined AVALANCHE, but if I had gone to college as planned, I wanted to major in... art."

"You can _draw_?" He sounded mildly impressed.

She laughed. "No. Not at all. Oh Planet, it's embarrassing now that I remember the reason, too..."

"Hey, I told you about my philosophy degree, you've gotta tell me about this."

Tifa finally answered, her voice a little tentative. "Well, I thought... art would make me more lady-like." Reno let out a wicked chortle. "And... I might of had this daydream that if I became good enough, some affluent man who appreciates art would notice my work and maybe um. Marry me. Okay, you can stop laughing now."

"Oh, that's _rich_." Reno said all too delightedly. "Tifa Lockhart. _Gold-digger_. Tell me Strife knows? Tell me he does, oh let me tell him, please."

"Okay, this conversation is over." As if to emphasize her point, she quickly finished his braid. "There. Done."

"Really?" Reno asked.

"Yes yes..." She stepped back to take a look, resting her chin on her fist. "Wait. Take off the blazer." He dutifully took it off, a confused look crossing his face. "There. Much better. Go look at yourself in the mirror."

He still had that cautious look on his face, but when he finally looked in the mirror, even his face changed into one of admiration and disbelief.

"Whoa." Reno held up an arm slowly, almost as if challenging to see if the reflection was really his. "Whoa."

Tifa didn't hold back her satisfied grin, though inside even herself was surprised by how...good he looked, almost unable to look away. But the effect of all the changes, the combed and styled hair, the dress pants, the striped shirt that somehow fit him just _perfectly_... She was, reluctantly, breathless. But damn it all, the man looked _real _good. "I know. It pays off to clean up every once in a while, am I right?"

"Don't get me wrong, that process way too long to be worth shit, but whoa." He didn't take his eyes off the mirror, a look of half-amazement and half-horror on his face. "They'd could start sending me to those mad upscale parties to infiltrate on executives and crap like that. I could totally mooch on all the wine."

"Yes. Of course. That's anyone's first thought they think when they put on a nice suit. How soon they can get free alcohol."

Reno finally turned around, and crossed his arms stubbornly. "Yo! Don't underestimate the draw of free booze, man. Anyway..." His eyes started to wander around the room. "... where's the tie?"

"Right here," Tifa said, picking it up from the table next to her and moved towards him to put it on. "Your hand's looking better, by the way."

He held up his left hand and flexed experimentally, wincing though the movements were relatively smooth. "Yeah. Probably just a few more days." He gave me a cheeky grin that she resolutely ignored, focusing on tying the silk. "You going to miss me?"

"I think I should be asking you that," she said lightly. "I'm afraid you won't be able to dress yourself anymore, you know, now that you've see there's an infinite world of possibilities if you just wear a nice suit and tie."

"I might have to drop by for your help every once in a while, I suppose. And for your coffee."

"Hmm, maybe. Though after this point, I might have to start charging you."

By now, Tifa had finished tying the tie, yet found herself unable to move away. The conversation lulled her closer, and she found herself drawn to his warmth, drawn to his bright eyes, unwilling to be the first one to move away. But Reno didn't move either.

He gave his characteristic sideways grin. Her heart leapt just a bit. "Yeah? And what do you want?"

She opened her mouth, about to respond (though Planet knows _what_ her answer was going to be), when she noticed a stray hair out of place. The perfectionist in her immediately rose up to correct it-this was her masterpiece-and stopped just as she did so, realizing that her hand was all but cupping his face as she had done so.

A long second passed, several thoughts somehow flashing through her head. The cynical part of her brain was really appreciating how she just happened to find a stray hair and the irony of how ridiculously cliche the move was. The rational part was asking if she really knew what she was doing, if she knew she wasn't going to get hurt by her actions.

And then there was the brash, fifteen-year old in her head telling her to just _fuck the world_.

Before she could contemplate whether it was a good idea, Tifa found her hand tangled through Reno's hair, bringing his face down as she put her lips to his.

_end.4._

"So when Elena freaked out at my new look-and _believe me, _she _freaked. _Had a gun in my face and all, asking where the real Reno was, and _Rude _had to restrain her, it was _fucking fantastic__-_-Anyway. I told her I had moved in with a cougar who was giving me all her late husband's clothing."

"Moved in. With... a cougar?"

"Oh yeah. With two kids. Hey, for my next mission, you mind if I call Marlene and Denzel in front of Elena?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'd love to help. But you don't think you're taking this charade a little too far...?"

"_Fuck _no. Even Tseng asked about my new look. I told him I was preparing to become his successor."

"Let's hope he didn't take that seriously."

"Hey, I would be a great leader to the Turks."

"Reno, say that sentence again. And listen to yourself this time."

"Haha, funny. But okay, so this really isn't Strife's suit? What, you just happen to crossdress every once in a while?"

"Yes, my alter-ego's name is Hot Chocolate. ... _Joke_."

"You have to stop teasing me like that."

"You make it too easy. Anyway, this is for you."

"... It's a ribbon. A pink ribbon. Can I just say now, I am not _that _comfortable with my sexuality to wear pink."

"Right."

"It's _pink_."

"Well, deal. Marlene informed me that no braid is complete without a ribbon. Though, to be honest, I think that's just her way of showing approval."

"Oh. Joy. I'm part of your rag-tag gang now."

"I know, it's great, right? Now the question is... who gets to tell Cloud?"

.end.

_Author's Note: ... And it's done! And yes, I did totally write this story just to find some reason to make Reno a philosophy major in college, not going to lie. I'll admit, I know there are tons of loose ends (like it's a little creepy and weird that Tifa's suddenly giving away her dad's clothing) but I'm still happy with this baby. _

_Still, I'd love to know if you guys thought it somewhat worked, despite how short the story was. Especially since it's my first FFVII fanfic. _

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and thank you for reading!_


End file.
